


Ignorance and Bliss

by queenofkadara



Series: Team Hailfire: Aloy & Ikrie [3]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Love, philosophical musings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 05:56:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16886913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofkadara/pseuds/queenofkadara
Summary: Aloy and Ikrie venture into the Sacred Lands together, and Ikrie makes the acquaintance of one of Aloy's few Nora friends.





	Ignorance and Bliss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Serie11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/gifts).



> A/N: This is a gift fic for HZD Secret Santa, but truthfully, it is also a continuation of my Aloy/Ikrie longfic, [Put Your Spear Beside Mine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13472790/chapters/30889176) You don't need to have read the longfic to enjoy this oneshot, but it would give some more context.

Ikrie grinned as Gera tried to ply her with another bottle of Scrappersap. “Just take it, little snowflake,” the round-cheeked Oseram urged. “You’ll thank us when you make it to your first Nora settlement. Give it to them as a peace offering.”

Kendert gave his wife a skeptical look. “Offering foreign liquor to the Nora? I don’t know, Gera. Seems like a bad idea.”

Gera shot him an annoyed look. “Why don’t you go back to brewing the stuff and leave the thinking to us women?” 

He raised his hands in surrender and wandered back to his still, and Gera snorted fondly before returning her attention to Ikrie. “That husband of mine is a lunkhead, but… he might have a point,” she muttered with a rueful twist of her lips. “You should still take the bottle to enjoy with the little spark.”

“We can’t, Gera,” Aloy called. The red-headed huntress was finishing up some repairs on Ikrie’s Charger, and she wiped her hands on her trousers as she wandered over to Ikrie’s side. “We’re travelling light - don’t want to carry extra weight. But we’ll come back sometime for another drink.” 

Gera raised her eyebrows. “You sure, Aloy? You won’t find such a fine stock once you’ve gone back to your people.” 

“We won’t be staying,” Aloy said firmly. “We’ll come back this way when we leave, I promise.” 

Ikrie surreptitiously squeezed her Nora partner’s hand, and Aloy gently returned the squeeze before nodding farewell to the friendly forgewoman. “Goodbye for now,” she said. 

Gera wrapped her strong arms around Aloy and Ikrie’s shoulders, and Ikrie let out a breathless laugh at her enthusiastic hug. “Happy travels, you two. And take care of this one,” Gera added to Ikrie, as she gave Aloy an extra squeeze. “She’ll wear herself down to the bone, she will.” 

“All right, all right,” Aloy huffed. “We have to go now.” Her tone was slightly brusque, but Ikrie was pleased to see a genuine smile on her face as she gently extricated herself from Gera’s embrace. 

She tugged Ikrie’s hand, and Ikrie smiled at Gera once more before following her partner. “It was great to meet you,” she said earnestly. 

Gera pinched her cheek fondly, and she and Kendert waved farewell as the two huntresses mounted their Chargers and took off toward the east at an easy trot. 

Ikrie shot Aloy a smile as they cantered along the snow-dusted path. “They’re nice,” she said. “Too bad we couldn’t bring that extra bottle with us, though.”

Aloy smirked at her. “Got a taste for Oseram liquor? Erend was a bad influence.” 

Ikrie chuckled. “Maybe,” she teased. “Or maybe I just wanted to bring some extra cleaning fluid for our weapons.”

Aloy grinned. “That’s exactly what Petra once told me it’s good for. Cleaning gearshafts, and getting you blind drunk.”

They laughed together, and Ikrie simply enjoyed the sight of Aloy looking so relaxed. Aloy was still nervous about bringing a Banuk to the Sacred Lands, and it showed; she’d kept their travels to the fringes of the lands, sticking to tree cover as much as possible instead of riding on the main paths. The people at Hunter’s Gathering were the first that they’d spoken to since coming through Daytower Gate, and although Ikrie knew that Hunter’s Gathering was the first settlement in the Nora’s lands, she also knew Aloy had been comfortable to stop specifically because it was a byway primarily populated by non-Nora travellers.

Indeed, it wasn’t long before Aloy suggested they veer off course from the main path. “There’s a Shell-Walker site just a bit south of here,” she reasoned. “And we could use the sparkers.”

“True,” Ikrie agreed easily. “Or we could just get the sparks from your hair, ‘little spark’.” She reached over and playfully tugged one of Aloy’s braids.

Aloy smirked and rolled her eyes. “Ha ha,” she said, and Ikrie snickered as she followed Aloy off the path. 

A short time later, the two women were crouched in some tall and snowy grass watching the convoy of Shellwalkers marching past. Aloy tapped her Focus to check for threats, then nodded a silent confirmation to Ikrie.

With the ease of long practice, the two huntresses went to work: Ikrie used her sling to slather the Shellwalkers and their Watcher guards with a blanket of chillwater, and Aloy’s tearblast arrows weren’t far behind, blowing components and storage crates off of the ungainly machines. Once the loot was freed, the two women used their finest hardpoint arrows to take down the Shellwalkers for good.

Ikrie grinned at her partner as they strolled toward the sparking piles of metal. “One finishing shot per machine. Not bad at all.” 

Aloy smiled and elbowed her as they knelt beside the nearest machine. “Hold onto your pride until we make our way to the Hunting Grounds. You’re damned good, but you’ve got my records to beat.”

Ikrie laughed and playfully pinched Aloy’s chin. “I hear your challenge, and I’ll take it. Don’t you worry about that.”

Aloy smirked and batted her hand away, and Ikrie fondly admired the redhead’s pinkening cheeks. Together they began collecting sparkers and reeling up the wire from inside of the eviscerated machines. 

A happy voice interrupted their quiet work. “Aloy! You’re back!”

They both looked up to see a Nora Brave approaching. He seemed a couple of years older than Ikrie, with dark skin and dark hair and a brilliant patch of blue paint over his right eye. 

He was grinning at Aloy, and Ikrie was pleased to see that Aloy was smiling too. She grasped the young man’s outstretched forearm in greeting. “Varl,” she said. “It’s good to see you.”

 _Varl,_ Ikrie thought with a spark of recognition. This was one of Aloy’s few Nora friends. 

Aloy held out a hand to usher Ikrie close. “This is my partner Ikrie,” she said to Varl. “She’s travelled all the way here from Ban-Ur. Ikrie, this is Varl. His mother is the War-Chief, and he is one of the bravest warriors the Nora have.” 

Varl ducked his head and awkwardly scratched his ear. “Your words are an honour, Aloy,” he said, then smiled shyly at Ikrie. “You have come a long way, huntress. What made you leave your homeland?” 

Varl’s friendly face was curious, and it was a fair question, but the answer was both more simple and more complicated than a polite conversation allowed. The reason she’d initially gone to the Cut - to follow Mailen - was so different from the multitude of reasons that she’d eventually left Banuk lands altogether: escape from the Banuk’s restrictive laws, a break from the painful shadows of her past, the lure of adventure and travel, and last but not at all least, the beautiful redheaded warrior at her side. 

There had been so many reasons to leave Ban-Ur, but as Ikrie took a moment to think about it, she realized it could all be distilled down to one essential thing. 

“I wanted to be free,” she replied. “Old laws and traditions can be more binding than the oldest ice. When Aloy offered to show me around the Sundom, I jumped at the chance.” 

Varl’s smile faded to a look of wonder. “So you have been to the Sundom already?”

Ikrie nodded. “We just came from there. It’s strange being back in a cold climate again. Though not nearly as cold as Ban-Ur, of course.” She tipped him a friendly wink. 

He continued to gaze at her in apparent awe. His eyes darted to Aloy’s face and back to Ikrie, and Ikrie watched curiously as a note of wistfulness entered his expression. 

Ikrie broke the slightly awkward silence. “I hear you’ve been to the Sundom once yourself?” she asked. 

Varl nodded. “Yes. But it was during the Battle of Meridian, and there was little time to see much. Maybe it would have been nice to… I mean - well.” He cleared his throat, then straightened his posture. “I had duties here to return to,” he said firmly. “The Nora have lost many warriors these past few years, and the settlements need protection more than ever.” He nodded pertly, almost as though he was convincing himself, then shuffled his feet for a moment before looking at Aloy again. “I was just on my way to this pack of Shellwalkers, in fact. Just scavenging, of course - no sense trying to take them out on my own. But I shouldn’t be surprised to find that you and your partner have dealt with them on your own.” He smiled proudly at her.

Aloy waved a hand at the Shellwalkers. “We’ve a whole convoy’s worth of spoils. Help yourself.”

“Oh no,” Varl said immediately, and he took a step back. “I couldn’t, the hunt belonged to you-” 

“Varl, I insist,” Aloy said firmly. “Take what you need for Mother’s Crown. Ikrie and are just two travellers. We’ve collected what we need, anyway.” 

Varl hesitated, then bowed his head. Thank you,” he said. “This is a true boon.” He knelt by the Shellwalker and began gathering sparkers and shards. 

Aloy shifted her own weight from foot to foot before speaking again. “Maybe we’ll stop by Mother’s Crown during our travels. Say hello to Sona,” she said. 

Ikrie could clearly detect the trace of reluctance in Aloy’s tone, but Varl didn’t seem to catch it; he looked up at Aloy with the most hopeful smile on his face. “You will?” he asked. “That would be… Thank you, Aloy. Your presence still brings comfort to so many. I’m sure the War-Chief won’t be the only one glad to see you.” 

Aloy gave him a tight little smile. “Farewell for now, Varl,” she said. She touched Ikrie’s elbow, and the two women started back toward their Chargers. 

“May the Goddess guide you, Aloy,” Varl called, and Aloy waved over her shoulder at him as they returned to their metal steeds. 

Aloy was quiet as they made their way slightly north. A short while later, they stopped for a short break, Ikrie building a fire while Aloy unpacked some dried figs and water. As Ikrie skilfully struck the tinder into flame, she fondly studied her Nora partner’s slight frown.

They settled themselves next to the campfire, and Ikrie popped a fig in her mouth before speaking. “So tell me about Varl,” she said. “He was one of the Nora who came to fight HADES with you?” 

Aloy nodded. “He’s a good warrior. A good person,” she amended. “He cares more about doing what’s right than following pointless rules.” Then she shrugged. “He’s still very Nora, though.” 

“What do you mean?” Ikrie asked gently. 

Aloy shrugged again. Her eyes were on her fingers, which were toying idly with the strap of her canteen. Eventually she lifted her gaze to Ikrie’s face. “Do you remember I told you I was born in the Cradle here, the one that’s in the Nora’s sacred mountain?”

Ikrie nodded. “Of course.”

“I offered to bring Varl inside,” Aloy said. “To show him the Old Ones’ machines. He could have learned how we all came to be here. He could have seen the… the artificial womb that I was made in.” She shrugged again and dropped her eyes. “He refused. He was too scared.”

Ikrie frowned. “Scared of what?”

Aloy twisted her lips ruefully. “Of seeing something he didn’t think he had the right to see. That’s what he said, at least.” She picked idly at a loose thread on the canteen strap, then took a quick gulp of water. “Sometimes I think he’s different than the other Nora. Maybe he’d like to travel, or see new things - he was amazed when he first saw me riding a Strider. He wasn’t scared at all. But then he goes and says these really Nora things, and I just…” She shrugged bad-temperedly.

Ikrie waited in sympathetic silence until Aloy spoke again. “I don’t understand why anyone would choose to live in ignorance if they had a choice,” she said. “It’s better to know the truth. It’s always better to know.”

Her voice was hard, and Ikrie felt a sudden pang of affectionate sympathy. From everything Aloy had told her - the eighteen years she’d waited for answers about her own origins, the travels she’d had to make to find her answers and the hoops that that strange Sylens character had made her jump through in order to get them, and then the degree to which those answers had impacted the fate of everyone Aloy knew… 

Ikrie understood completely why Aloy preferred hard truths over blissful ignorance. But she also didn’t think that Varl was a complete write-off. It was just as Aloy had said: there was a spark of curiosity in the Nora Brave, a hint of a wish to see more than he had already seen, even if his fascination with Aloy’s travels was biased by his obvious crush on her. 

Ikrie shuffled a bit closer to her redheaded partner. “Maybe he just needs time,” she suggested. “Learning new things, big groundbreaking things like the things you’ve told me… maybe he just needs some time to get used to the idea.”

Aloy shot her an almost accusatory look. “ _You_ didn’t. You were… You listened.” She swallowed hard and tugged one of her braids. “You didn’t get scared and back away.” 

A squeeze of tenderness wrapped around Ikrie’s heart, but she decided to stick to humour for now. “Yeah, but that’s because I’m fantastic,” she joked. 

Aloy’s frown melted into a smirk, and she nudged Ikrie’s shoulder. “You’re definitely something, you chuff.”

Ikrie chuckled, but sobered quickly as Aloy’s face melted into seriousness. “Seriously though,” Aloy said. “You don’t ever wish… I don’t know. That I hadn’t told you all the stuff I did?”

Her expression was both stern and vulnerable at once. Ikrie shook her head. “No. I’m glad you told me,” she said firmly. “I’ve learned so much. I mean, so many of the things I thought I knew about the Blue Light and the shamans and all that got shattered like spring thaw, but that’s okay.” She smiled and shrugged. “And I have to say, it’s nice to be able to say ‘I know’ rather than ‘I think’.” 

She reached for another dried fig from Aloy’s wax-cloth, but Aloy grasped her wrist. 

Ikrie lifted her face, and a fresh wave of affection washed through her chest at the softness in Aloy’s expression. “Ikrie,” she whispered. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m… I was worried about coming back here, but… I’m glad we’re here together.” 

Ikrie gently smoothed a strand of hair back from Aloy’s forehead. “So am I,” she said. 

Aloy smiled, and Ikrie smiled back at her before leaning in to press her forehead to Aloy’s. In this moment of fire-warmed peace with her redheaded partner at her side, there was nowhere in the world that Ikrie would rather be.


End file.
